Covering unit and method of making the same



Feb. 16, 1932.

B. H. KAUFFMAN COVERING UNIT AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed Oct. 7. 1929 l n INVENTOR gw' a w www ww w M Patented Feb. I6, 1932 UNITED STATES 'Para orrlCE V, BENJAMIN H. KA'UFFMAN, OI LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA,ASSIGNOR TO ARMSTRONG CORK COMPANY, OF LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL- VANIA COVERING UNIT AND METHOD OF MAKING THE 'SAME Application filed October 7, 1929. Serial No. 397,314.

This invention relates to a covering unit and method of making the same, and is herein particularly described as applied to the manufacture of a cove and base unit-which is Y used in connection with composition Vfloor tiles.

It has heretofore been the practice in manufacturing these articles to supply a predetermined amount of a. loose granular lino leum mix to a mold and compress the same to form, the article then being taken to a stove and cured. The composition tiles for making the floor proper are, however, made by a diiferent process. The linoleum mix for making such tiles is fed through a calender and thus formed into a sheet of the desired thickness. The mix employed for carlendering is, as is well known in the art, of dierent. characteristics than the granular mix used for molding. It is therefore extremely difficult to exactly match the colors of the tile units and the cove and base units. Even if the two kinds of units are only slightly off shade from one another the'floor installation is not perfect. Also, as is well known, the compressed granular mix presents a different appearance to the eye than does the calendered mix.

In many installations it is desired to have the tile units of marbled or mottledappearance. Attempts have been made to securey the same visual effect in the cove and base units by placing a striated mix'in the mold and pressing it, but this does not give a good marble eEect and does not match the marble tiles Vwhich have been made by calendering.

I provide a covering unit having a face of calendered linoleum mix and a backing of granular mix. The face may be relatively thin. It is placed in the mold, a requisite amount of granular mix for forming the backing is supplied, and preferably `after a preliminary tamping, the materials are compressed to form the unit. This process has a large number of advantages over the present methods of manufacture. It obviates the necessity of extremely close checking on color. In the manufacture of composition floor tiles the material is, as above stated, calendered into sheets of the desired thickness andthe tile units are cut` from these sheets. With my process, sufficient additional linoleum mix is supplied to the calenderto form the facings for the coveand base units. After the sheets Afor forming the composition tiles have been made, the spacing of the calender rolls is reduced vand sheets vare run through to form the facings'for the cove and base units. This insures that the colors will be the same, and in the case of marbled or mottled. configurations it insures that the marbled appearance of the several units will correspond.

In the manufacture of marbled goods in a calender, the rolls are run at ldifferent speeds. The high speed roll is maintained at fairly low temperature and tends to pull the sheet, giving the marbled effect. This pulling action tends to draw a thin skin of oil and particles of mix over the surface, making it very smooth and free of pores. This prevents the grinding in of dirt. A sheeted mix isv also st-ronger and less brittle than a molded mix and willgive visual effects such as marbling, which it is impossibleto attain from granular mixes.

By the present process, scrap material may be used for the backing. A' large amount of scrap is always produced in linoleum manufacture and the present invention provides an outlet for a portion thereof. p It is always desirable in a cove and base that the back of the unit shall be fairly rough so as to make a good mechanical bond with the cement by which it is placed. The' mix employed for the backing may be coarse s in nature so that when pressed the back will be suiciently rough to insure a good bond with the cement.

CoveringA units made according to my process also appear to resist warpingto a greater extent than do the old type'units.

In theaccompanying drawings,illustrat l ing the present preferred embodiment of the invention, A i Y y Figure l isa ,transverse section through' a mold for a coveand base unit, and showing the sheeted linoleum and granular mix therein, Y, 4

Figure 2 isa similar view but showing the material after it has been compressed,

Figure 3 is a perspective View of a portion of a floor, and showing my improved cove and base unit in conjunction with composition floor tiles,

Figure 4 is a perspective View of a cove and base corner unit,

Figure 5 is a section taken on the line V-V of Figure 4l, and

Figure 6 is a View corresponding to Figure 5, but showing a modification. l

In Figures 1 and 2 thereis illustrated a mold 2 of proper form for molding a cove and base unit. A sheet S of calendered linoleum mix is placed in the mold as shown in Figure l. The mold is oiled to prevent stick! ing. The sheet is slightly longer than the width of the mold and is tucked into place so as to fit closely into the ridge 3 of the mold. A'loose granular mix G in predetermined amount is applied over the back of the sheeted linoleum and is then tamped with a hand tool l so as to push the sheet S well down in the mold and prevent wrinkling of vthe same when pressure is applied. A male plunger 5, as shown in Figure 2, is then pressed downwardly in the mold to compact the mix. In practice I have found that a r-essure of approximately 1260 lbs. per square inch applied for approximately 11/2 minutes gives good results. After this initial pressing the male plunger of the press is raised slowly and then rapidly lowered for the momentary application of a pressure.

In practice Iliave found that on this second pressing it is desirable to use a pressure of approximately 1260 lbs. per square inch. The second pressing is employed so as to allow any air which may have been entrapped by the first pressing to escape. It is also found that it improves the appearance of the units. After the second pressing the formed unit is removed from the mold and stoved.

Figure 3 shows one of the units U applied to a wall W alongside of the composition floor tiles T. The floor tiles are made entirely of sheeted linoleuin and the face portions 3 of the cove and base units U are made of the same mix, thus insuring absolute matching of the cove and base units and the tile units.

It will be noted that the facing of the cove and base units extends downwardly at the line 'of junction with the tiles T, as indicated at G. This gives additional protection for the edge of the unit and insures that the facing willnever be accidentally loosened or Figure 4 illustrates in perspective a corner cove and base unit made according to my invention. As shown in section in Figure 5, it comprises a facing of sheet material S and a backing of granular material G.

The backing of the cove and base unit, being made of granular material, presents a substantially continuous face for bonding with the wall, this face being of the rough character obtainable by using a coarse granular mix. As shown in Figure 3, such backing engages the wall and the floor, thereby insuring that the cove and base will be securely bonded in place.

In the modification shown in Figure 6, the backing, instead of being of granular mix, is made up of laminations of' sheeted linoleum. These laminations may be made up from scrap material, and, of course, color and texture are unimportant. In certain cases it may be possible to mold vthe cove and base of a single thickness of material. A product made in 'this way or according to the .showingl of Figure 6 has advantages over the present cove and base units, in that matching of the adjacent tile units is obtained and the surface is non-porous.

I have illustrated the invention with particular reference to a cove and base unit. It will be understood, however, that it is not limited to such structure, as it finds application in floor tiles and various other articles of manufacture. The word linoleum mix is used herein as a term of general definition and not'of limitation, and is intended to include equivalent mixes regardless of the particular kind of filler or binder employed. Nhile the invention has been described as applied to a structure in which it has particular value, it is not limited to the form shown, but may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

l. In combination, a floor tile of calendered linoleum mix and an adjacent trim member havinga facing of the same mix and a backing of a different linoleum mix.

2. In combination, a floor tile of calendered linoleum mix and an adjacent trim member having a facing of the same mix, the facing material extending downwardly alongside the edge of the adjacent floor tile.

3. A cove and base having an edge adapted to lie alongside the edge of an adjacent floor tile, the cove and base having a facing of sheeted linoleum mix, the facing extending over said edge.

l. As an article of manufacture, a cove and base having a calendered face of linoleum mix of the character employed in the art for calendering, and a backing of granular linoleum mix of the character employed in the art for the manufacture of molded inlaid linoleum.

5. In combination, a floor tile of calendered linoleum mix, the tile being made of a mix of the character employed in the art for calendering, and an adjacent trim member having a facing of the same mix, the trim member having a backing of granular linoleum mix of the character employed in the art for the manufacture of molded inlaid linoleum.

6. As an article of manufacture, a shaped covering unit having a face of linoleum mix of the character employed in the art for calendering, the face portion being relatively thin, and having` a backing of granular linoleum mix, the backing presenting an edge, the calendered face extending over such edge.

7. As an article of manufacture, a covering unit having a calendered face of linoleum mix, the face being of substantially uniform thickness, and a shaped backing of varying thickness, the backing being made of linoleum mix, the backing and the face being permanently secured together to form a unitary article.

8. As an article of manufacture, a covering unit having a calendered face of linoleum mix, the face being of substantially uniform thickness, and a shaped backing of varying thickness, the backing being made of linoleum mix, the backing and the face `being permanently secured together to form a unitary article, the backing presenting an edge, the calender-ed face .extending over such edge.

9. In combination, a floor tile of calendered i linoleum mix and an adjacent trim member having a facing of the same mix and presenting generally the same appearance, the facing being of substantially uniform thickness, the trim member having a shaped backing of varying thickness, theV backing being made of linoleum mix, the backing and the face being permanently secured together to form a unitary article.

l0. In combination, a floor tile'of calendered linoleum mix and an adjacent trim member having a facing of the same mix and presenting generally the same appearance, the facing being of substantially uniform thickness, the trim member having a shaped backing of varying thickness, the backing being made of linoleum mix, the backing and the face being permanently secured together to form a unitary article, the shaped backing of the trim member presenting an edge adjacent the floor tile, the face extending over such edge and abutting the floor tile.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto .set my hand.

BENJAMIN II. KAUFFMAN. 

